Where the Heart is
by WolfWing
Summary: The only thing litle Ginny wanted to do was to meet Harry Potter. A chance meeting transports the two into a life of adventure.
1. A Stranger in a Strange Land

Disclaimer:

All intellectual and property rights of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Book rights belong to Scholastic Books, Bloomsbury Books, Raincoast Books, Orbit Books, and any others I may have missed. The film rights belong to Warner Brothers. The world of Harry Potter is being used without permission and without the intent of infringing upon these rights. No profit is being made. If you recognize it, it belongs to JKR. If you don't recognize it, there is still a strong chance it belongs to JKR. The seldom and rare things that JKR doesn't claim as her own and could be construed as mine I release to Public Domain.

I'd like to acknowledge and give my eternal gratitude to my Beta Reader, Thoth. Thank you for making this story many orders of magnitude better. Any mistakes found are solely my own. If you, the reader, find anything in error, feel free to let me know and I will endeavor to fix it if I can. As such, thank you for making this better for the next reader.

* * *

Ginny Weasley awoke bright and early one summer morning. She ran into the bathroom, giggling and giddy the entire way. She then dragged a little stool over to the sink, for at the age of four she was too little to reach otherwise. Ginny Weasley then began to dutifully wash her hands and her face, brush her teeth, and fix her Weasley red hair. Once she was happy that her hair looked good and had it secured in many cute, pink butterfly barrettes, she ran back into her room, slamming the door along the way. She began to dress into the clothes she very carefully picked out the night before. First was the button down, pale pink, chelsea collared blouse. It was her favorite shirt. Next, Ginny put on a secondhand green dress. It was sleeveless, with wide straps and a square neckline not unlike overalls. It was an A-Line style, with no discernible waist dividing the dress into upper and lower regions. The hem of the dress was knee length, showing off her lower legs over which Ginny pulled up lacy crocheted, white, cotton knee high socks. Ginny then put on her green maryjanes. Looking into the mirror, Ginny gave herself a blazing and dazzling smile.

What made today such a special day for little Ginevra Molly Weasley? It took many long hours over the course of many, many days of constant needling, wheedling, and pouting, but Ginny finally convinced her mother to take her Harry Watching. It was not often that a witch or wizard would catch sight of The-Boy-Who-Lived, but those that did would usually boast by writing letters to Witch Weekly. It had taken a few years to pin down locations with the most chances of success, but rumors had it that certain special spots in Surrey were the best location to try and catch sight of the young hero.

'_Perfect!' _Ginny thought to herself as she gazed upon her reflection. '_Maybe Harry will want to be my friend,' _Ginny also thought to herself as she giggled cutely into her hand.

Her mother knocked on the door before opening it. Upon seeing her only daughter and youngest child, Molly suppressed a long-suffering sigh. Molly had seen the mess in the bathroom and figured her little girl was already up. The source of the sigh was not the fact her little girl was up and bouncing around like it was Christmas in July. No, the source of the sigh was at Ginny's messy hair with disarrayed barrettes, that her dress was on backwards, her shoes were on the wrong feet, and the two visible shirt buttons were in the wrong holes. Molly suspected that some of the buttons hidden by the dress were not even buttoned. However, seeing how happy Ginny was, all Molly could do was shake her head at the sight.

"Ginny, dear, would you like some help dressing up?" Molly asked with a sigh.

"No thanks, Mum. See, I'm all done." Ginny giggled some more while she twirled around to show off her clothes to her mother.

Molly just sighed some more. "Honey, you've got your dress on backwards. Come here," Molly said as she reached for Ginny and yanked the dress up and over her head. Molly picked up Ginny and set her on her bed. Without a word, Molly began to rebutton Ginny's shirt as Ginny pouted at being fussed over. "Keep making that sour face and it will stick like that," Molly admonished the little girl. Soon, Molly had Ginny's shirt buttoned properly and pulled the dress back onto her, with the proper side facing front. Not long after, Ginny's shoes were fixed and Molly carried her over to a mirror. "Now hold still so I can brush your hair." Meanwhile, Ginny suffered through all of the attention quietly.

The breakfast table began to fill up with the Weasleys as Molly put the finishing touches on breakfast. Ginny sat at her place, all smiles and excitement in anticipation for her day. Bill sat down next to her, lightly ruffling her hair.

"All set, squirt, for your day out?"

"Hey! Don't mess my hair up, I want it to look perfect," Ginny whined.

Bill chuckled, "Don't worry, you look beautiful. Got your Harry Hunting kit?"

"Yep!" Ginny beamed up at her favorite brother. The night before, after dinner, Bill had helped her put together a little kit to go Harry Watching with. In her small, green purse, she had an old pair of cracked omniculars that Bill used to watch Quidditch games with, a couple granola bars to snack on, a Harry identification card (an old scrap parchment on which Bill had Charlie cartoon a small boy with messy hair and a lightning bolt scar on his head), and a little card with Ginny's full name and address on it, which Ginny was to give to a police officer if she found herself lost and separated from her mother. "Got it right here," Ginny told her brother while patting the purse she had in her lap.

"And, do you remember what you should say to a bobby in case you get lost?"

"Yes. That I was visiting my aunt with my mom, but I don't know how to find my aunt's house. I only got the address for my house, and I show him the piece of parchment with my name on it." Ginny proudly said all this to her brother.

Bill grinned down at his little sister. He hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed if she didn't catch a glimpse of Harry Potter. Bill hoped she would, though. "Just stick close to mum, OK?"

Ginny nodded her head enthusiastically, "Okie-Dokie!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a different city, someone else was starting their morning routine. Today started as any other day in the Dursley household. Petunia Dursley, matriarch of number four, Privet drive, marched down the stairs. She was a thin lady, with a long face, and hair permed and worn up. Her house dress was impeccable, as was her house, with nothing out of the ordinary. For the only thing worse to a Dursley than the unordinary, the strange, the different, or the inexplicable was for them to stand out to others as strange, different, inexplicable, or out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, their nephew Harry failed them in both counts. Though not for their effort to stamp out of him any trace of freakishness; freakishness determined by their standards. The Dursleys already feared that it was only a matter of time before their neighbors discovered their secret shame.

Aunt Petunia approached the cupboard under the stairs and banged on it. "Boy, wake up. Breakfast isn't going to cook itself."

Harry groaned and opened his eyes. "Coming, coming," he called out as he sleepily rubbed his eyes with his fists. Harry quickly cast off his pajamas, which were originally Dudley's and about three sizes too big for him, and wiggled into some brown slacks and a dingy, white shirt which was also too big for his slight frame. During these summer months, Harry wished he had a decent t-shirt; unfortunately all he had to wear today was the worn out, button down, short sleeved shirt with the peter pan collar. In an attempt to hide the dismal state of his shirt, Harry took to wearing an oversize beige tank top sweater vest, even though it was itchy and uncomfortable during the summer. Pushing open his cupboard door, Harry trudged into the kitchen like a man on his way to his execution.

His Aunt Petunia snobbishly sniffed as he entered the room. "See if you can mind the bacon this time, and don't burn the toast. You know my little Dudlykins has a sensitive stomach. And don't forget the eggs, griddlecakes, hash, sausages, oatmeal, and waffles."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry intoned without any emotion.

"Hmmph, I should think you could show a little more respect and gratitude, boy, we did take you in at no small sacrifice," Petunia said as she turned up her nose, before leaving the kitchen to go wake up her son, Dudley.

Harry Potter just sighed as he started working on cooking breakfast. After pulling a chair over to the stove, so he could reach the top easier, Harry raided the icebox for ingredients. His stomach rumbled, for all Harry had eaten the night before was a small bowl of salad without any dressing. '_I bet Dudley'll get to sleep in some more,'_ Harry thought with a sigh, '_wish I could have gotten a little more sleep. I wish I could remember the dream I was having when I awoke.'_

True to Harry's thoughts, Dudley did get to sleep in. However, not long after Petunia returned to the kitchen, Vernon Dursley arrived dressed for work and with the morning paper stuck under one arm.

"Good morning, dear," Vernon greeted Petunia. Turning to Harry just long enough to speak to him, Vernon looked down his nose and scolded, "The toast or the bacon better not be burned this morning, boy, or you'll be locked in that cupboard with no food for a week. That'll teach you to waste good food by burning it, you worthless good for nothing." Sitting down, Vernon buried his head into the morning paper.

* * *

The Knight Bus exploded into view with a violent bang and screeched to a halt. The conductor, an old man dressed smartly in a wingtip collared white shirt, black bow tie, blue vest, slacks, and oxfords, limped down the steps, wheezing the entire way.

"Good morning, madam. The Knight Bus is at your service, where do you wish to go today?"

"Little Whinging, Surrey, please," Molly Weasley told the conductor.

"That will be seven sickles. Here's your ticket. Come aboard, come aboard. Watch your step, now. Little Whinging, Surrey, Ernie, and step on it."

Molly carefully led Ginny through the bus to some chairs near the back. As soon as they were barely seated, the bus rocketed off. Molly fell back into her seat hard and Ginny was hanging on for dear life.

"Ginny, dear, don't go wandering off when we get there. If you leave my side, I'm taking us straight home," Molly warned her daughter.

"Don't worry, mummy," Ginny responded.

"If I had a sixpence every time the twins told me that," Molly sighed. "Ginny, what do you plan on doing once you see him?"

"I'm gonna say, 'Hi, I'm Ginny Weasley. Wanna be my friend?'" Ginny answered. "He must have a lot of friends, mum, do you think he'll want to be mine?" Ginny pleaded softly.

"I don't know, Ginny-cakes. But don't bother the poor boy. He must have people hounding him constantly."

* * *

Harry leaned his back against a tree, wheezing hard. He was out of breath from running so much on an empty stomach. Even though he had done a good job at making breakfast, especially considering he was five and couldn't even reach the stove, all he was given to eat was a piece of toast.

Piers, one of Dudley's friends, had spotted Harry. "Hey, there he is! Dudley, let's go get him."

Harry groaned and pushed off of the tree. The morning had been going well too. After what passed for breakfast, Harry had shrugged on his tank top before going out. He knew if he hung around too much, his aunt would find work for him to do, so Harry decided to go for a walk around the block. However, Dudley had celebrated his birthday a couple weeks earlier and one of his many presents had been a slingshot. It seems Dudley and his friends grew tired of trying to hit tin cans and glass bottles off of a fence. They must have decided to go Harry Hunting instead. Fortunately for Harry, Dudley may have been a decent shot, but not when it came to moving targets, and Harry had plenty of practice running, dodging, and zig-zagging away from Dudley.

'_Why does Dudley always get the fun toys? Just because he has a mom and I don't. Why don't I have a mom and a dad? It's not fair! I want a slingshot too; they look like so much fun. And I wouldn't use it on people, well maybe Dudley. Ouch, those things hurt._' Harry ranted to himself as he ran on, his side burning in stitches. '_I need to find someplace to hide. Where?_'

* * *

Molly huffed to herself as she walked with Ginny down the street. She didn't want to even be in Surrey, gawking at some child like he was some monkey at a zoo. However, she wasn't given much choice in the matter. Ginny had persistently pursued wearing down her mother's resolve. The deciding factor had been earlier in the week, when Bill had come to her in the kitchen to argue Ginny's case. Bill had brought up some good points; the best one being that since a lot of the sightings took place at the grocers and other sundry places, Molly could get some errands done while Ginny amused her self with looking around.

Molly unconsciously pulled her cardigan a little tighter about her. The people in this neighborhood seemed to have such nice, and new, clothing. She felt self-conscious about her plain and worn out skirt and blouse that she wore. Up ahead, Molly saw a craft store that sold fabric, yarn, and the other sundries of needlecraft. Remembering that she needed more yarn for her knitting, and that this was one of her errands she had to run, Molly stopped in front of the store.

"Come on, mum. The green grocers is just up ahead," Ginny happily informed her mother.

"Come along, Ginny. I think we should look here, first. Harry might be inside." Molly didn't feel the slightest bit guilty lying to Ginny to get her to cooperate.

"But, Witch Weekly rated Exeter's Grocery as the best place to see Harry Potter," whined Ginny. "Why would Harry be in a rag shop?"

Molly grabbed Ginny by her arm. "I said to come along. If you won't behave, we'll just go back home right now." With that, Molly turned and dragged a pouting Ginny into _Fergusson's Fabrics and Quiltery_.

Not far from where the two Weasley women were shopping, Harry was trying to hide. Harry found a rubbish bin that was, thankfully, not full of smelly scraps of rotting garbage. Harry tried to breathe more quietly and to get his rapidly beating heart to slow down. He now had a number of welts from the lucky shots that had hit him. Fortunately, Dudley missed much more often. Harry could hear Dudley's gang of five and six year old future hooligans nearby.

'_Lucky that Dudley accidentally broke that shop window with a stray shot. The shopkeeper's yelling made it easy to get away.'_ Harry chanced a peek out and ducked his head back in. '_Don't find me. Don't find me. Go away, don't find me,'_ Harry chanted in his head.

Meanwhile, in _Fergusson's, _Molly was dismayed at how expensive everything was. '_Tut tut, the prices they charge for yarn is just criminal_,' Molly thought to herself. '_Maybe, I can_ _find a thrift store and buy an old knitted sweater. I could unravel it, and dye the yarn with a pigmentosa spell_.' Molly once again frowned as she caught the store owner looking at her and Ginny with undisguised contempt. "Come along, Ginny. I think, maybe it is time we looked elsewhere."

Ginny brightened at hearing this, hoping it meant they would be going to _Exeter's_ next. Fortunately for her, picking up some stuff for dinner was in her mother's plans. Unfortunately, however, Molly wasn't thinking of going grocery shopping just yet. Leaving the store, Molly stopped to think about how she could go about finding a thrift store or flea market in a city she has never been to before. '_I could try to ask for directions; perhaps one of the other shopkeepers would be more polite_. _There are a fair number of shops along this avenue. If I were to just ask around, that couldn't hurt._' Molly was afraid that something like a secondhand store would not be found in such an affluent neighborhood. Lost in thought, Molly did not notice that Ginny was walking away. Ginny, certain that her mother was going to go the grocer's next, did not even notice that her mother had stopped. Unluckily, Ginny was noticed by Dudley and his gang.

"Hey, look at that beggar girl," one of the boys exclaimed, drawing attention to Ginny.

"I don't think those rags were ever new," another boy quipped.

"Mum and dad would be upset to know that such freaks are walking around here. Dad says that freaks are good for nothing bums that ruin this country for the rest of us decent folks," Dudley was always parroting his dad. "I bet she's almost as big of a freak as Harry. Let's show her what we do to her kind around here." And so, two groups, with very different ideas of Harry Hunting, would collide.

Molly decided to just ask around. That was when she noticed Ginny wasn't next to her. Looking around, she could see Ginny was walking down the street while looking around. '_This was a fool's errand, coming here. I guess I could go to the grocers and ask around. I need some shopping done anyway.'_ Molly started to briskly walk after Ginny. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, get back here now."

Ginny, upon hearing her mother's voice, first looked up to where she thought her mother would be. Then, in confusion, she looked around behind her for her mom. "Ow," she cried as a stone bounced off her head. Ginny had failed to notice Dudley and his gang rushing towards her, distracted by her mother's call. "Hey, quit it!" Ginny yelled while turning around, as two more pebbles hit her. A look of fear crossed Ginny's face as she noticed the menacing boys approaching her.

"Ginny, come here!" Molly yelled as she began to run towards her daughter. "You leave her alone," she scolded the young boys.

Ginny panicked and turned from the boys and ran off blindly. Unfortunately, she ran into the road without paying any attention to the traffic. Ginny ran without looking both ways while her mother watched on in horror as she darted into oncoming traffic. Frozen in fear, Molly could only stand and watch as her only daughter darted in front of a car.

'_Oh no! Please not my Ginny,'_ Molly thought to herself as a brown blur suddenly sped past where she was standing.

A loud honking noise caught Ginny's attention, causing her to stop and turn. Ginny squealed in fright as she finally noticed a car heading right for her. Suddenly, something pushed her hard and she was lying on the ground as the car skidded past her, inches from her face. The terrible sound of crunching metal and shattering glass was heard as the sounds of screeching tires and a really loud air horn blast filled the air. Suddenly, two small hands grabbed Ginny and pulled her sharply to the side and someone threw their body on top of hers. Ginny gaped as something dark and gritty slid overhead.

The car that Ginny ran in front of had not bothered to stop. However, Ginny and Harry were now lying in the next lane, and another car had to swerve to avoid hitting them. The second car collided with a parked car. A large tanker full with fuel was behind the second car and it swerved to avoid the accident, causing it to bear down onto Ginny and her savior. Seeing two small kids in the road, the driver attempted to swerve again back into his proper lane. Fortunately, Harry noticed the tires were moving to the side and started to roll while tightly clutching Ginny. The tractor, thankfully, cleared the children before it could run them over with its many tires. The double swerve, however, was too much for the fully loaded trailer and it began to tip over and slide sideways along the road. Miraculously, Harry and Ginny did not get ground into the roadway by the falling tank. However, the rupturing tank sprayed kerosene all over the accident scene, including the two small children, who sat up to survey the damage.

Ginny, still in a bit of shock, sat there gaping. '_Huh? What?'_ Ginny's brain was still trying to understand what had just happened as her heart pumped in her ears and the adrenaline in her system wore off. Ginny looked towards the boy that had pushed her and kept her safe, '_How'd he get here?_' she wondered.

"Ow!" Harry groaned as he sat up, sore from having saved the little girl. That was the last thing Harry managed to say before the fiery whooshing sound of igniting fuel filled his world with heat and pain.

For just a moment, time stopped. To Molly it seemed as if time slowed down, watching some boy try to keep her only daughter out of the way of the automobiles that ran the streets. Wizards knew about cars, the ministry made use of them and many Wizarding families owned one for moving among the Muggles. Molly knew what a car was and what it could do if a small child got in its way. Yet, even though Molly's eyes were glued to the scene in shock and horror, even she did not see the kids disappear just as the wall of flame was to reach them. All Molly could do was scream in hysteria as she watch the flames erupt into an infernal that no one could expect children to survive in.

* * *

Harry had instinctively covered his face with his arms as the heat rose. One moment, he felt a blast of heat, and the next, Harry felt cool winds and cool grass. Harry opened his eyes and uncovered his face. He was no longer sitting in a road, covered in kerosene, in Little Whinging. Harry was sitting in a grassy field on a hillside. Sitting next to him was the girl from before. The one he noticed his cousin menacing. She was clutching her knees to her chest, her face was white with fear. He shook her gently. "Excuse me, are you all right?" Harry asked with obvious concern in his voice.

Ginny turned to look at the boy, about to say something, when her eyes fell upon the lightning bolt shaped scar on his head. Ginny gasped. "You're Harry Potter!" she breathed out in amazement.


	2. A New Beginning

Disclaimer:

All intellectual and property rights of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Book rights belong to Scholastic Books, Bloomsbury Books, Raincoast Books, Orbit Books, and any others I may have missed. The film rights belong to Warner Brothers. The world of Harry Potter is being used without permission and without the intent of infringing upon these rights. No profit is being made. If you recognize it, it belongs to JKR. If you don't recognize it, there is still a strong chance it belongs to JKR. The seldom and rare things that JKR doesn't claim as her own and could be construed as mine I release to Public Domain.

I'd like to acknowledge and give my eternal gratitude to my Beta Reader, Thoth. Thank you for making this story many orders of magnitude better. Any mistakes found are solely my own. If you, the reader, find anything in error, feel free to let me know and I will endeavor to fix it if I can. As such, thank you for making this better for the next reader.

* * *

Harry was unsure how to respond to the strange girl. Confused, he looked around. Harry could see he was on a hillside. Strange beasts were grazing on the grass and a house made mostly from logs sat further up the hill. The grassy hill extended down into a forest of trees. Strange bird songs wafted on the summer breeze as his nose filled with the scent of wildflowers. Harry's confusion started to give way into fear. '_Where am I? How did I get here? Am I dead? Is this heaven?' _Harry's jumbled thoughts turned in his head at a frightening pace.

Harry turned to look back at the girl. "How do you know my name? Who are you? Where are we? How did we get here?" He spoke quickly, panic tinting his voice

Ginny blushed. She was with her hero and he was talking to her. Ginny thought he sounded a bit panicked, but after what just happened, even her heart was still beating fast. A strange noise left Ginny's mouth. It took her a couple more tries to get her mouth working again.

"Are you alright?" Harry was worried. The little girl that his cousin was picking on was turning all red, staring at the ground, and seemed to be trying to hide. "I didn't mean to scare you ... uh?"

"Ginny, Ginny Weasley. I ... I don't know where we are. And everyone knows who you are, Harry. You're a hero. You destroyed one of the most evil dark lords around."

"Oh. Another Harry Potter, then. It's a common name, I think. I'm not a hero and I didn't do anything like that. I'm just Harry."

"But, you got the scar," Ginny told Harry as she pointed to his head. "From when you killed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry blushed, embarrassed again by his scar. '_I hate the ruddy thing. Makes me stand out, get picked on._' "My aunt says I got it in the car crash that killed my parents."

"Oh." Ginny grew quiet. She knew, in her heart, that this was Harry Potter, _the_ Harry Potter. But she didn't know what to make of his statement. "Harry?"

"Yes, uh ... Ginny?"

"What just happened?"

Harry just shrugged in response. After a bit of thought, "I remember saving you from being run over by a car. And a lot of fire. I think we must be dead."

Ginny started to sniff, and rub her eyes. "Are we ... are we in heaven then?"

"I ... guess so."

Ginny started to sniffle and cry quietly. After a moment, she quietly said, "I want to go home. I want my Mummy and Daddy. I don't wanna be dead, I'll never see anyone again."

Harry didn't know what to do, so he just held Ginny close, letting her cry.

* * *

Ginny was crying into his shoulder, the world was quiet, the wind was blowing, and Harry had been daydreaming. As such, he never noticed the old woman approaching until she broke the silence and startled him.

"Excuse me, but where did the two of you come from?"

"Sorry, ma'am. My name is Harry, and I come from home." Harry politely replied to the stranger. Harry was also watching the little old lady carefully. In his experience, grown-ups were not pleased with surprises and tended to punish Harry whenever something was amiss.

The little old lady looked at Harry in amusement. "And - where is home?"

Harry paused, his thoughts in confusion. He never really learned yet what postal addresses were or what his address was, but his Aunt Petunia did bring him and Dudley shopping. He did sort of know the way to the market and back as a collection of turns and landmarks. What Harry did not know was how to get home from this strange place. "Well, it was a house. My room was under the stairs. It looked like the other houses, but I could tell which one was mine. After getting chased and lost a couple of times, you sort of pick up on finding it. I don't know how to find it from here."

"How did you two get here?"

"Don't rightly know, myself. I'd say it was magic, but Uncle Vernon says there is no such thing and that I'm a foolish freak if I think such." For the last part, Harry tried to impersonate his uncle's voice.

The little old lady _tsked_ in annoyance, making Harry anxious he said something wrong. His uncle was always yelling at him to never mention such nonsense to strangers. "Well, you're Uncle is a right fool, then. For there is magic, in a way. And, you could never have just appeared here, in the Heart, without magic. Powerful magic. Magic that is only used in desperation, as a last resort. Come, come, children. Might as well get you inside." The old lady turned, as she beckoned them, and headed towards the house on the hill. Harry could see that she wore a simple dress made from some sort of course fabric. Her white hair was bound up in a bun, and she walked with a stoop in small, mincing steps. Her leathery, wrinkled face shone with good humor and a smile played along her lips like she was in on a joke that they were not. Harry helped Ginny to her feet and pulled her along. She clutched tightly to his arm. Harry could see the fear and worry etched in her face.

Entering through the door, Harry noticed the house was simply and sparsely decorated. He stood in a kitchen or dining-like area. A wood stove stood in the corner and a stone oven made up the far wall. A small table stood at his right. The place held a sweet smell like that of simmering stew. Harry's stomach chose to growl then, embarrassing Harry. Blushing, Harry hoped no one else heard the rude noises his stomach had made.

"Ah yes, it is getting close to lunch time. I imagine you two children are rather hungry. Why don't the two of you go play in the other room while I put something together?" the old lady remarked as she took a bowl of fruit from the counter by the sink. In response, Ginny tugged on Harry's arm, pulling him into the other room where they could sit.

* * *

The old lady called to the two little kids as she placed the third pot pie onto the table. She always kept a few pot pies uncooked, under a towel, in her pantry. The raw dough layered over the dish full of a mixture of meats and vegetables in a light sauce helped to keep the filling from spoiling. All she had to do was stoke a fire in her oven, and when it became warm enough, she brushed the coals aside to make room for the pies. A bowl of clean fruit completed the meal. A pitcher of water, a bottle of milk, and three clay cups competed for room on the small tabletop. Small, wooden spoons thrust up from the crust of the pot pies from where the old lady had stuck them in. As there was only, originally, two stools by the little table, the little old lady had brought in a rocking chair that she kept on her porch outside.

Ginny and Harry, both feeling hungry, ran into the kitchen. Harry was shocked to see he was going to be fed so much food. Usually, the Dursleys gave him table scraps. Ginny closed her eyes as she sharply inhaled, savoring the aroma of lunch. Quickly sitting down, they dug into their lunch with gusto.

* * *

Harry threw himself onto the ground, breathing heavy. After lunch, the little old lady had sent them out to play, saying that kids, like plants, grow healthier when they get some sun. Harry suspected she also didn't have any toys for them to play with inside the house. Ginny almost immediately had given Harry a pat to his shoulder while screaming, "Tag! You're it!" before running off. Harry gave chase, and before he knew it, the afternoon blurred by in a laughing frenzy as the two little kids ran all about. And now, Harry just lay there, panting. Feeling too tired to move, Harry watched the clouds sail overhead.

Breathing hard, Ginny collapsed besides Harry, sprawled out, and laid her head on top of his stomach. "Oi, do I look like a pillow?" Harry gave Ginny a mock glare.

"Yes. A Harry Potter shaped pillow. Now shush," Ginny reprimanded Harry with mock seriousness. If they weren't so tired, the two would have probably shared a giggle. "That cloud looks like a doxy," Ginny said as she pointed to the cloud.

Harry replied, "What's a doxy?" He figured it must be a word she made up. "That one over there looks like a bunny rabbit." And so, the two kids rested up and caught their breath while seeing shapes in the clouds.

Harry's eyes opened as he felt a tugging on his arm. "Come on, Harry, get up," Ginny whined. "Get up, get up, get up!"

Sitting up, Harry rubbed his eyes with his free hand and said with a yawn, "Did I fall asleep?"

"Come on Harry, I want to go play," Ginny said with a pout.

"What do you want to do?" Harry asked as he stood up, Ginny still pulling on his arm.

Ginny only paused a moment before replying, "Let's follow that stream we saw earlier. I want to see if there is pond on top of the hill." Ginny's expression saddened by a small amount as she continued, "I had a pond in the garden back at home."

Feeling sorry, Harry quickly responded, "Let's go. Last one there is a rotten freak." Harry took off running.

Ginny quickly caught up, "A rotten freak?" she huffed while running.

Harry innocently answered, "My cousin always says that. Then he pushes me down and runs away. His friends say it too."

"Oh," Ginny said, "I always thought it was rotten shrivelfig. Must be a Muggle thing. Though Luna likes to say rotten nargle eggs." Reaching the stream, both kids turned to race uphill, following the bank.

"Muggle? Nargle? Shrivelfig? Are we still speaking in English?" Harry teased her. Ginny just giggle in response at what she perceived as silliness.

Ginny decided she didn't want to be a rotten anything, so she pumped her legs harder and started to pull ahead. "Come on, slowpoke!" she called to Harry as she passed him by. Having too much fun as well, Harry pushed himself to keep up with Ginny as they continued to race uphill. Soon, they had arrived at the shores of a small lake, or a large pond. Sighting a small dock, Ginny kept running towards it. "Can't catch me," she taunted.

Running out of breath, Harry kept his silence and chased after Ginny. Both kids were wheezing hard as they clattered to a stop on the docks. Hands on knees, Harry was bent over, trying to catch his breath. Ginny dropped her purse and tore her shoes and socks off before sitting on the edge of the docks, with her toes dipping into the water.

"You alright, Ginny?" Harry asked his new friend.

"I'm fine, Harry. Isn't it beautiful?" Hearing this, Harry took his time too look around the docks. It was old looking, shabby, and in a state of disrepair but not so bad as to seem to be unsafe. Harry noticed that off one side of the docks, ropes were tied. Looking down into the water where the ropes disappeared, Harry noticed they led to barrels. Some of the ropes anchored bags that floated just below the surface of the water, the current pulling the slack out of the rope. Looking up, he could see the lake was peaceful and a clear blue. The edges were shallow and reeds grew up out of the water along the shoreline. Birds that looked vaguely like geese clustered towards one side of the lake. The water was clear, and out where the docks ended in the lake, Harry could see down to the bottom six or seven feet below the surface. Harry could see fish swimming lazily in the water, and frogs as well.

"Wow. I never seen a lake before," Harry enthused.

"Never?" Ginny questioned him.

"No, never. My aunt and uncle often took my cousin, Dudley, to the beach. I wasn't allowed to come, though." Harry pouted as he remembered long, hot, summer days spent locked in his cupboard while the family went to the beach. Dudley had made sure to rub it in, and, from his stories, Harry had decided that he would love to go swimming one day.

"That's awful. Why would they do that?" Ginny started to feel sorry for her new friend.

"They said that freaks like me weren't allowed," Harry painfully admitted, afraid that Ginny would think he was a freak too.

"They sound like meanie-heads. Wait till I see 'em," Ginny raged in righteous indignation.

Harry laughed at this. "You already met my cousin. He was the tub-of-lard that was pelting you with stones."

"Well, he's lucky he is not here now!" Ginny stated in her matter of fact tone. "Or I'd... I'd... I'd would do what Mum keeps yelling at Dad. No pumpkin pie for a week."

"Pumpkin pie? I take it your mom is a good cook?" Harry was confused by that odd statement.

"She's the bestest. 'Specially her pies. I can see why Dad wouldn't want her to not bake pies for a week. I know it scares me," Ginny proudly proclaimed. "So, you never got to swim then?"

Harry looked down to his feet in embarrassment. "No, not once. Don't know how. Uncle Vernon told me that back in the day, they used to throw freaks like me into water. You could tell they were freaks because they would sink like rocks. Said there was no use letting me swim if I was just going to sit on the bottom like the useless lump I am." Harry sighed.

Ginny made up her mind. "Come on, the water isn't deep by the edge and we still have to clean that smelly gunk off." Ginny started to pull her dress off.

"I think it was kerose- Gah! What are you doing?" Harry spun around to look the other way.

"What what am I doing?"

Harry blushed. "Your clothes. Put them back on."

"We can't go in the water wearing our clothes. That's just silly."

"But ... you're a girl," Harry protested.

"So? Mum makes me take bathes with Ron. And the twins take baths together too. It's no big deal." Ginny was confused about Harry's reaction. She had never really spent any time with other people, other then her neighbor Luna, and thought things everywhere were like at home. Having 7 kids to keep after meant that Mrs. Weasley found it easier to make her younger kids bath in groups of two. Also, sometimes, Bill or Charlie would help get the youngest two cleaned up. She wanted to go swimming, didn't have any bathing suit, and didn't think this was any different then bath time with Ron.

"I never took a bath with anyone." Harry was going to add that he was only allowed to bathe once a week, and only with a gallon of cold water, but he didn't feel comfortable admitting this.

Ginny was still disrobing, but she paused to look over at Harry. "Don't you want to go into the water? You can't go in with your clothes. And I need a rinse. Aren't you sticky, too?"

Harry thought about it. He admitted to himself that he did spend a lot of time in his cupboard. Maybe the rest of the world was different and he really was a freak. Not wanting Ginny to think he was a freak too, Harry decided that it couldn't hurt to go into the lake. He had always wanted to. With a sigh, Harry pulled his tank top over his head. After folding his top neatly and laying it down by his feet, Harry began slowly unbuttoning his shirt. All the while, he kept his back to Ginny.

Ginny strew her clothes about, tossing them aside as she took them off. Seeing that Harry was busy undressing, she called out to him, "Come on in when you're ready, Harry." And, without another word, she ran to the end of the dock, onto the shore, and waded into the water.

Harry added his neatly folded pants to his stack of clothes. Too embarrassed to take his underwear off, Harry peeled off his socks, folded them, and turned to join Ginny. Peering over the edge of the dock, Harry shuddered as he saw again how deep the water was.

"Harry, don't jump in. You can't swim. Come here, by the grass." Ginny's bossy voice rose up to Harry from the water's edge, as she pointed to a spot on the grass where she wanted Harry to go. Harry hesitantly made his way over to where Ginny pointed. "Now come here. Sit," Ginny continued, in a tone as commanding as the nearly five year old could manage. Harry obliged, sitting down next to Ginny. Scooping some sand up from the bottom, Ginny began to gently rub Harry's back with it.

Laughing at the ticklish sensation, as he wiggled under her ministration, Harry turned and grabbed Ginny's hand. "What are you doing?"

Ginny giggled. "I was scrubbing some of this gunk off." She then splashed some water at Harry's face while laughing.

Harry rubbed the water out from his eyes. "Is this how you play in water?" Harry asked with a grin before splashing Ginny back.

"Yes it is. Didn't you ever get to splash anyone?"

"No. I never went swimming, remember?" Harry sighed, becoming depressed and withdrawn.

Ginny felt anxious for making Harry sad. "Not even in the bathtub? Me and Ron splash all the time."

Harry sighed again. "My aunt doesn't like me to make a mess, or to play, in the bath. Doesn't want me taking too long, or I get punished."

Ginny smiled a sad smile as she splashed Harry again. "I'll just have to show you how to have fun then." Ginny's grin grew as she saw Harry's face light up.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Ginny punctuated her comment by scooping as much water as she could and splashing Harry. "Now turn around and sit still. You can wash my back next."

* * *

Harry and Ginny were still splashing about, with a rainbow hue oil slick staining the water around them, when the little old lady found them. Chuckling, a wry smile twisted her lips as she gazed on the sight of the two kids playing in the water. "Dinner is almost ready, kids. Why don't you come sit on the docks while you dry off and I'll bring the food out when it is done. It is lovely out, we could eat on the docks."

"OK!" Ginny ran out of the water, laughing gaily, to plop down on the deck of the dock. Harry shyly got up to follow, mumbling an apology as he passes the old lady.

"Don't worry, no one is in trouble." The old lady chuckled before leaving, heading back downhill to the cabin.

Harry sat down next to a wet and naked Ginny Weasley. She was busy trying to squeegee the water out of her hair with her hands. Following her cue, Harry ran his hand through his hair, trying to wipe the water out. Looking up, Harry wondered again where the sun was. The sky was light blue and luminous, like on a summer's day, but there was no sun to be seen. Looking towards the horizon, Harry could see they were starting to be tinged with a rosy pink. Looking around, he noticed that where ever he could see the horizon it was tinted the same. He wondered what time it was, and how there could be light without a sun. Trees and ridges block most of the view, but in places Harry could see tall walls, over and beyond which he could not see a thing.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Ginny quietly asked him as she poked him in the arm gently.

"What kind of nut?" Harry answered cheekily. "Ran out of pennies? I was just enjoying the view. Do you feel hungry too?"

Ginny slid closer and laid her head onto his shoulder. "Yeah, I wonder what Mum is cooking for dinner for the boys." Ginny sniffled a little and buried her head into Harry's neck. "She's probably making Bill and Charlie peel some potatoes. Percy is probably bossing the twins around. Ron would be playing some chess with dad."

"Sounds like a big family. I never had a big family. I'd like to meet them. Think they'll come to heaven, too?"

Ginny scrunched her face up in thought. "I hope so. But where are your parents? Seems awfully empty and small for heaven. Shouldn't there be lots and lots of people?"

The two kids grew silent again, the weight of their thoughts pressing on their minds as they watched the sky grow more rosy and golden. Ginny cuddled into the side of Harry, his arm around her back, as she thought of what her family was up to. Thinking of them having a normal family dinner without her. Harry automatically held Ginny, his fingers drawing circles on her leg, as he thought about how happy his family must be to be rid of him and pondered where he could be now if not heaven.

* * *

When the little old lady returned, she found them still sitting quietly, staring off into the distance. She hobbled carefully, carrying a big basket with a folded up cloth layered on top. Setting the basket down, she then spread the cloth out on the dock. Next, emptying the basket one item at a time, she arranged the food on the cloth. Finally, she handed a couple of wooden plates to the kids. "Dig in, before the food gets cold."

The kids gave a start; deep in thought, they had not noticed the arrival of their dinner. Ginny inhaled greedily and a big smile, bright as a summer day, broke out on her face. Harry looked over and his eyes widened at the sight of the food. By the time he aroused himself to sit closer, Ginny was already filling a plate with food. She plopped herself down by an edge of the cloth and sat Indian-style, naked as a lark. Harry did not notice Ginny's exposure while he was filling his plate, but he did after sitting down. Blushing, he averted his gaze to his plate and dug in, afraid that at any moment he would be told he couldn't eat more. The trick to getting any food at the Dursley's was to eat fast before it disappeared onto Dudley's or Vernon's plate.

The little old lady chuckled at Harry's antics. "Slow down, young man. No one is going to take your food from you."

"Sorry," Harry bashfully muttered. "It just all looks so good!" He smiled as he looked up at the little old lady. "Thanks for the good food."

"You're welcome. Now, eat up, there's plenty more where that came from." The old lady smiled fondly at the two little kids as she ate her dinner. She noticed how gaunt and underfed Harry seemed, and the way he'd eat as if he was afraid that someone would take his food away. Sadly, she wondered what kind of life he must have had. Ginny, she noticed, was quick with a smile and much more easy going around her, not bashful and withdrawn like Harry. '_How could two children, as different as night and day, end up here in the Heart?_' she wondered. '_It is only by the will of the gods that any may enter, and the ones they send are meant to be wardens. Are these two meant to be the new Gatekeepers? But, they are so young, too young! I fear my time is short. They'll have to learn how to live here until someone new arrives. Maybe then, they can find a way home, or be watched by my replacement. I'll have to show them how to keep house, but that is good. I am not as young as I used to be, I can use their help. Well, I can start tomorrow. Tonight they take a bath and go to sleep._' The old lady's thoughts kept whirling around her new visitors as she ate, while Ginny ate quietly and Harry focused on the food in his plate.

Once the trio had their fill of food, the old lady slowly stood up to begin putting the used dishes and platters back into the basket. Harry, seeing what she was up to, quickly lent a hand to help. Once everything was all picked up, the matron addressed the children. "Why don't you go grab your clothes and come back to the cabin. I'll get some water heated up and you two can take a bath before bed."

"But we already cleaned up in the lake," Ginny stated with a smile.

The little old lady smiled down at Ginny. "But this time, you can use real soap and shampoo. You're still covered in some dirt and gunk, and your hair needs a better cleaning. Come on, it is starting to get dark, let's get inside." And indeed, the rim of the sky seemed rosier then before dinner and a darker blue all around. Nodding, the kids picked up their belongings before following the kind lady.

"Hey, Ginny, you left a sock over there by the grass." Harry pointed out the errant sock to Ginny, who had made a bigger mess with her clothes.

"Thanks, Harry." Ginny bent over to grab the missing sock and dropped another article of clothing from the heap in her arms. Since she didn't notice, Harry picked it up for her. Together, the three of them made their way down hill.

Once inside the cabin, the little old lady placed the basket by the sink and grabbed a cauldron of hot water off of the dying fire in the hearth. "Follow me, kids." She led them into the living room and through the door on the right. She poured the water into a circular tub and added more water from the tap, until she thought it was no longer too hot. "Come on, Harry, out of those clothes and in you go," she told him as she lifted Ginny up into the tub. After getting Harry into the tub, she handed him a bar of soap. "I'll be right back to help scrub you two. Just going to get some cinders to help keep the water warm."

After Harry watched her leave, he began to soap up. "No one has ever washed me before, but Aunt Petunia fusses over Dudley all the time. Is that normal?" Harry asked Ginny as he handed the bar of soap over.

"Yes, Harry. Why wouldn't a mommy not wash you? Mommy washed me all the time."

Harry looked down into the water as he quietly rubbed the lather onto his arms and chest. He felt sad because he didn't have a mommy to fuss over him like Dudley and Ginny had.

Not long after, the old lady returned with a small bucket of burning embers and small tinder. Opening a small door near the tub, she dumped the embers in and laid the sticks on top. Blowing a little on the embers, she got a small fire started. "There, now the water will stay nice and warm. Mind if I have that soap, dear?" Once she got the bar of soap from Ginny, she reached for a square piece of knitted cloth and began to scrub Harry's back. Harry was unused to such attention and felt shy about it, but he also enjoyed having the attention as well. '_Is this what it feels like to have a mommy?_'

Once she got the kids soaped, scrubbed, shampooed, and rinsed off, she got them out of the tub. Dried and wrapped in warm towels, she sent them out. "Shoo, I just have to rinse the tub off and I'll be out." Ginny, not needing telling twice, took Harry by the hand and pulled him out behind her.

She heard Ginny's voice drift in through the open door. "Tell me a story, Harry?"

"What kind of story?" Harry replied.

"How about the time you had tea with some Cornish Pixies?"

"What? The time I had tea with what now?" Harry was just plain confused.

"The Cornish Pixies, when you were riding through Wales on the back of a Swedish Shortsnout and you rescued a mermaid in distress, so the pixies invited you to tea." Ginny smiled brightly at the thought of hearing one of her favorites Harry Potter stories from Harry himself.

"Er ..." Harry was unsure of what to say, at first. "I never did any of that, I don't even know the Pixie family or what kind of horse a shortsnout is. I had tea once with a lady that owned lots and lots of cats. She told me all these boring stories about her cats, and showed me picture albums of them, and she had like ... hundreds of the snotty little furballs."

The old lady was done cleaning up the tub and chuckled at the children's antics. Sighing, she went to throw the kids clothing into a wash tub, so she could clean it first thing in the morning. '_Maybe I can show them how to wash the laundry by the stream. They need to know. I'll have to get them more they can wear, too._' She thought to herself. Finding Ginny's purse in the pile of clothes, she gently placed it on the table. '_It is nice to have some kids around, life had been getting dull.'_

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were still sitting by the fire, talking, as she got ready to clean up the mess from dinner. Ginny was telling him a fanciful fairytale.

"Wait a minute," Harry interrupted Ginny, "So this other Harry Potter kept something called a Nundu as a pet? What's a Nundu?"

Ginny stared at Harry for a moment like he was an alien. "It's a very dangerous cat, a big one. Charlie told me you had one and you'd ride it everywhere. He said you named it Brandy, because she was a fierce warrior."

"Why would someone ride a dangerous beast?"

"Because it's a fairytale. Didn't you ever hear a fairytale before?" Ginny sent Harry a perplexed look.

Harry blushed and stared at his hands; he felt shy and bashful all of a sudden. "No, no one has ever told me stories before. Uncle Vernon said stories like those would rot the brain." A derisive snort was heard coming from the kitchen area.

"Aw, Harry." Ginny patted his arm. "I'll tell you stories. Here's one dad liked to tell us. It is called the _Tale of Three Brothers_. Once upon a time, there were three brothers traveling alone at night..."

* * *

As Ginny told Harry one fairy tale after another, she began to yawn more and more. Meanwhile, Harry's eyelids grew heavy and he began to nod off. She was in the middle of _Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump_ when the kindly lady who took them in interrupted Ginny's story to send them off to bed.

"Come, come. Right up this ladder are two bedrooms. Why don't you go to the bathroom, wash up, and I'll go get some gowns you two can wear to bed." Ginny reluctantly went to the bathroom while Harry waited as the old lady went to open a chest in the corner.

"We're not kicking you out of your bed, are we?" Harry worried about imposing on the kindly lady. The Dursleys seemed put out to have him, though they had plenty of room. Harry hated to be a bother for the kind lady.

The old lady laughed before turning to Harry and reassuring him. "I haven't gone up in a long time. These old bones do not go up and down ladders well anymore. I've taken to sleeping on the couch these days. That's why I have a few trunks of clothes in here, too. You're not kicking me out of bed." Seeing a look cross Harry's face, she spoke up before he could. "I am happy on the couch, and, as I said, I can't climb the ladder well anymore. So, I don't want to hear another word about it, OK?"

Harry nodded his assent. The old lady smiled at him before returning to her trunk to fish out a couple tunics the kids could wear to bed. Once she got out what she was looking for, Ginny exited the bathroom, towel draped half-haphazardly around her. The little old lady handed Ginny one of the shirts, which Ginny accepted with a smile.

"Thanks," Ginny said. Meanwhile, Harry walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed, carrying the other tunic. When he was done, and after he quickly picked up a bit after Ginny, he left the bathroom to find Ginny waiting for him at the foot of the ladder.

"I'm all set," Harry told her.

"I was just waiting for you. I think it might be ... dark up there," Ginny trailed off, blushing. Harry figured that she was uneasy exploring a new place at night all alone.

"Forgive me, children. I forgot; it has been ages since I last went up. Let me get you two a couple of candles so you can find your way. Remember to blow them out once your in bed. If they tip over in the night while lit, they can start a fire." With that, the lady fetched two candle holders from the mantle and two tapers from a small box. Using the fire in the fireplace to light them, she put the lit candles into the bases before giving them to the children.

"Thank you," Harry and Ginny chorused.

Awkwardly, as each had one hand busy holding the candles, they made their way up the ladder into the darkened hallway above. Opening the trapdoor, Harry's head was the first to peek through. Climbing up and out, Harry turned around and bent down. Reaching out to Ginny, he said, "Give me your candle, I'll hold it for you." Soon, both of the kids were standing in the darkened upper reaches of the house; candle light played on their faces and danced on the nearby walls. Ginny nudged the trapdoor so it would fall back into place.

Harry shyly looked at his candle. "Er, which room would you like?"

"This one, I think," Ginny replied, pointing down the hall to her right. Harry nodded before turning towards the left. "Good night, Harry. Sweet dreams."

Harry blushed. This was the first time he could remember anyone wishing him a good night's rest. "You too, Ginny. Good night and sweet dreams." Harry's blush intensified when Ginny got on tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek. Then, with one last smile, Ginny disappeared into the dark. Turning, Harry went to his room.

It was a simple room. Bed, desk, wardrobe, and wood burning stove being the main furnishing. Harry placed his candle on the nightstand, climbed into bed, crawled under the blankets, leaned over to blow out the candle, and finally snuggled into the bed to sleep. The windows let in some starlight, more then his cupboard had ever seen. The house was silent. And the bed was softer then the crib mattress under the Dursley's stairs. It did not take long for Harry to drift into sleep, truly happy for once in his short life.


End file.
